Five Mistaken Assumptions about Website Development Projects: Part 2

This is the second of five posts about the mistaken assumptions, both from the client and designer perspectives, about web site development projects.

Assumption 2: Web firms should not preview work before a presentation

Back in the days when words like “transparency” and “partner” were not part of the corporate vernacular, there existed a more formal relationship between an agency and its clients. There was a mystery and anticipation for clients in what the creative process would yield on their behalf. When presentation day arrived, it was sometimes like an unveiling, and when the work was well received, the level of gratification was extremely high for both parties. For the agency in those days, previewing the work meant demystifying and thus to some degree, devaluing the creative process. It also meant risking showing unfinished work that might not be ready for primetime, thus sending one back to the proverbial drawing board.

These days with the accelerated pace of business, mystery and anticipation have yielded to transparency and partnership. With the degree of change happening in our client’s businesses, with technology and the world in general, there is less time to “get it right.” It has to be first time, every time. We preview work as the situation warrants and find that it is usually a good experience that gives both us and our clients total confidence walking into a presentation, and makes our clients feel like partners in the process. While something has been lost, something has been gained.